Race gates are back on the Stelvio Glacier. | Image: Silja Koskinen
Italy’s Stelvio Glacier (Stilfserjoch) has reopened for summer skiing after cooler temperatures improved conditions on the high-altitude glacier, bringing lift-served summer skiing back to the European Alps. SIFAS Passo dello Stelvio announced this week that its facilities would reopen on Friday, September 4, following a drop in temperatures. The reopening comes just three weeks after Stelvio suspended summer skiing because of persistent heat, a lack of overnight refreezing, and frequent storms.
Skiing is currently scheduled from 6:30 a.m. to noon, instead of its usual operating hours from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., giving skiers a shorter time window to get back onto the glacier.
The Stelvio Glacier has reopened for summer skiing. | Image: Anna Swenn Larsson
SIFAS suspended summer skiing on August 14, after Europe was facing a record heatwave. The lift operator on the Stelvio Glacier said that the decision was “painful but necessary” because the weather had made it impossible to guarantee the usual standards of quality and safety required for summer skiing. The closure was particularly significant because Stelvio was the last remaining lift-served glacier ski area in the European Alps offering summer skiing at the time.
Anna Swenn Larsson shared training pictures from the reopened Stelvio Glacier. | Image: Anna Swenn Larsson
Glacier skiing depends heavily on overnight temperatures. When the snow and ice surface freezes overnight, it creates a firmer skiing surface for the following morning. Extended periods of warm nights prevent that refreezing and can rapidly deteriorate the surface.
Stelvio’s reopening comes after an exceptionally difficult summer for glacier skiing across the Alps. The resort had effectively become Europe’s final option for lift-served summer skiing after other major glacier destinations shortened their seasons or suspended operations.
Anna Swenn Larsson shared training pictures from the reopened Stelvio Glacier. | Image: Anna Swenn Larsson
Hintertux Glacier in Austria has introduced summer breaks in recent years, while Tignes in France ended its 2026 summer skiing season early because of deteriorating conditions. The glaciers above Zermatt and Saas-Fee in Switzerland also experienced interruptions during the summer and neither the Swiss nor the Austrian resorts have announced a reopening yet.
What sets Stelvio apart from other glacier ski areas is that the Italian glacier ski area only operates during summer. In winter, the pass road by the same name is closed due to snowfall, making access impossible. Stelvio is located at the Swiss-Italian border and offers skiing from 9,049 feet (2,758 meters) to 11,319 feet (3,450 meters) and spanning over 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) of groomed slopes. The resort is popular with international ski racing teams and is usually the summer base for the Italian national ski team.
Anna Swenn Larsson shared training pictures from the reopened Stelvio Glacier. | Image: Anna Swenn Larsson